The $68.7 billion gaming mega-merger between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard is facing in-depth competition scrutiny in the European Union.
EU regulators had been taking a preliminary look at the proposed deal, after the transaction was notified to the bloc’s regulators at the end of September. But today the Commission confirmed it will open a deeper probe — following in the footsteps of the UK’s antitrust authority which announced its own in-depth investigation back in September.
In a statement today, the Commission said it’s concerned the proposed acquisition could reduce competition in the markets for the distribution of console and PC video games and also for PC operating systems — with the risk of driving up prices and reducing quality and innovation for consumers. “The Commission’s preliminary investigation shows that the transaction may significantly reduce competition on the markets for the distribution of console and PC video games, …
